We are a misting system installation, service, and rental business as well as a pest control business specializing in mosquito control serving central Texas and the northwest Houston areas. We also offer a complete line of misting system parts and accessories for shipment all over the world. You will find that the result is a comfortable environment for people and animals. The products we sell are made from high quality manufactures including Mistaway, Cloudburst, Aniks Outdoor Comfort Solutions, Mist and More, Schaefer and Smart Mist.

Our misters, fans and blowers allow you to spend more time in the backyard with your family and friends while being cooled off without getting wet.

Our insect control systems will allow you to enjoy being outside without being bothered by annoying bugs. We use a botanical insecticide or a natural solution that is sprayed through nozzles installed in and around your property.

Our mosquito spray treatments for your yard or a special event will eliminate bugs without the need for an entire system to be installed. This service comes with a 30 day guarantee.

Whether you are in need of outdoor insect control, outdoor cooling, fog effects or dust suppression, we are your number one source! Call us today to get the ultimate in outdoor comfort at 979-324-3223.

College Station Mosquito Control System

In 2016, the Zika Virus has been one of the most widely publicized health issues in the media. This disease was not known to the general public until that time. This is due to the dramatic increase on the incidence of one of its side-effects, which is microcephaly.

Annually, there is an estimated 150 pregnant women infected with the Zika Virus who give birth to babies with microcephaly. In early 2016, it rose to a staggering 4000 fetal malformations.

Effects, like this, are presumably irreversible, which makes it a serious public health issue. This outbreak was alarming for many people, and even more so when the viral infection was reported in more than 20 countries around the world.

Brazil held the Summer Olympics around the same time of the year, when the incidence of Zika side effects increased. This would boost their number of tourists to about half a million, as a result of the international event. The recent Zika outbreak was of great concern to many people who would be attending the Olympic Games, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), because Brazil is one of the countries with highest incidence of the viral infection. This surge in crowd gatherings would pose a risk for increased cases of Zika, not only in Brazil, but worldwide, as tourists would inevitably be returning to their home countries.

Zika is a life altering virus, and is only one of the many viruses that is still being actively carried by mosquitoes. Qualifying viral diseases, carried by mosquitoes, include Malaria, Chikungunya, West Nile, Yellow Fever, and Dengue (believed to infect 400 million, yearly), which are all potentially fatal if not detected at an early stage, and not treated correctly.

In these situations, vaccines and treatments can only go so far in keeping these viruses under control. Mosquito Extermination is necessary in order to eliminate the potential for a global pandemic.

Mosquito Life Cycle

It is important to know the biology of a mosquito in order to eliminate them. Mosquitos undergo four stages during their life cycle. An adult mosquito lays its eggs in water. This is where an egg can thrive and hatch. The larva, also known as wigglers, will then come out of the eggs and grow into a pupa. As it continues to grow the adult will then hatch from the pupa stage on the surface of the water.

Once the body parts have become fully developed, it is now expected to survive out of water. It is important to understand that three out of four of the growth stages are in water. This process, takes up to ten days to three weeks, depending on the species of mosquito.

It is also important to point out that mosquitos thrive in warmer climates. Places with a significant increase in temperature also have a recorded increase in mosquito-borne illnesses. Moreover, a mosquito’s life cycle will shorten as the temperature increases.

This means that viruses can spread faster because mosquitoes can transmit diseases at an early age. It is also very evident that most of the Zika incidents are reported in places with warmer climates. This is because mosquitos feed more, and are more active, in warmer climates. They have higher probabilities of acquiring the virus, and later transmitting it to another person. On the other hand, mosquitos are warm blooded and tend to hibernate in colder climates of less than 50 degrees fahrenheit.

With this information in mind, you can be more equipped in taking the first steps in increasing your protection, and elimination of mosquitos.

Self Protection

Wearing light colored clothing can help reduce the probability of being bitten. It is also useful to apply mosquito repellant on the skin. These repellants are available in the form of lotions or sprays, however, these options are only used for short term purposes.

Efforts from the government, the public, and individuals, for mosquito control, must still be in place to keep spaces safe from all these harmful viruses potentially carried by mosquitos. It is efficient to eradicate the source of mosquitos, and their habitats. By doing so, one can significantly decrease the reproduction rate of mosquitoes in the area.

Clean Environment

A mosquito can lay hundreds of eggs at a time. Killing them at their immature stages before they grow, and start transmitting viruses, would make a significant change in decreasing their presence in any given area.

One can help by completely draining water or covering it up. If there has to be water in a fountain or a small decorative pond keep the water clean or change it every week. By doing this you will kill mosquitoes at their early stages of life (i.e. egg, larvae and pupae).

Larviciding

One way to treat water is larviciding, which is commonly done by mosquito control organizations and businesses. These come in the form of a solid round donut shape as well as a liquid when needed for a larger body of water.

The floating action of the briquets ensures that the active material is released at the surface as well as gradually to the bottom. It contains effective levels of Bacillus thuringiensis for a period of 30 days or longer under typical environmental conditions.

Using these larvacides is part of the overall integrated pest management approach that Mr.Mist Systems uses. Mr. Mist Systems is licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Structural Pest Control Board which exists for the licensing and regulation of all pest controllers.

Organic Mosquito Control System

Organic mosquito control is another subject worth mentioning when it comes to limiting the number of mosquitoes in an area where water is prevalant. Here are a few of these organic mosquito control methods.

Allowing natural predators of mosquitoes to live in the area. One can do this by making homes that would encourage them to stay and feed there. Examples of these predators are bats, birds, frogs, and fishes (such as koi and mosquito-fish who feed on larvae). You can create bird houses, or buy the predators themselves, to live in your water feature.

Another organic mosquito control method can be traced back to ancient times. People have been using plant extract to use as larvicides, such as chrysanthemum and nicotine. They introduce these to the water features around them, and are considered to be traditionally effective.

On the other hand, we can also incorporate mosquito repellent plants in our garden such as citronella grass, rosemary, basil, and lavender, to name a few.

Another natural option is to ensure that water in the area is free of algae because mosquito larvae feed on it.

A final and more advanced organic form of control is to have a mosquito mist system installed and use a “green” solution instead of using the regular pyrethroid based solution. Control can be accomplished by doing this but the cost is much greater since the solution has to be sprayed twice as much as the regular mist system solution.

Mosquito Spray

These aforementioned methods may reduce the number of mosquitos, prevent them from breeding further, and kill the mosquitos in their immature stage. However, they may not be the most convenient, or guaranteed way of keeping mosquitoes under control.

Organic Methods may reduce, but will not utterly eliminate the mosquitos in the area if you need to address a serious infestation quickly. Therefore, by popular demand, qualified commercial mosquito control services have emerged throughout the years.

People have been resorting to companies that offer regular mosquito spray services. This involves specialty mosquito control equipment in the form of a backpack mist blower that contains effective mosquito pesticides, which administers the treatment as a mist.

The accessibility to this service opened a new option for people. At the same time, it publicized mosquito control through businesses that offer these services.

One of the main advantages of this is that it is being administered by an expert and the equipment can target even the most hidden crevices and corners of an area. This also can avoid any portion that either does not need it, or can be harmed.

Some companies have also formulated a pesticide that is effective regardless of the weather. This caters to the needs of the customer regardless of whether it is raining or not, in particular.

This can be done on a one-time or regular basis (every 21 or every 30 days). After the spray has dried, the area is then safe for people to live, and move around in. Even the vulnerable population, like children, can go to the space without the odor of the chemical treatment, and especially, the concern of regular mosquito bites, which can irritate a child’s skin, severely.

An advantage mosquito spray treatments over a mosquito mist system is the cost of a application. It is much cheaper than paying for an complete installation of a mosquito mist system, yet, over a period of about 3-6 years the mist system will have paid for itself and it becomes less expensive to continue to maintain rather than get regular mosquito treatments.

Mosquito Control System using Mist

On the other hand, pest controllers have introduced more aggressive methods in dealing with annoying mosquitoes. These systems are called Mosquito Misting Systems or Mosquito Control Systems. These systems are extremely effective, quite convenient and rated for outdoor use on a residential building by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The mosquito mist system releases a mist of pyrethroids (pyrethrin or permethrin) under mid-pressure (240 psi) into the air. The active ingredient, pyrethrin, comes from the extract of chrysanthemum flowers or the other active ingredient, permethrin, that is the synthetic version. These are combined with PBO (piperonyl butoxide) which has a synergistic effect on the mosquito which makes the active ingredient more effective.

This combination of insecticides attacks its nervous system and kills the mosquito. The percentage of active ingredient necessary to do the job is extremely low so it poses as minimal risk as possible on humans. The mist in the air as well as wherever it settles can also eliminate other pests such as spiders, wasps, and flies but beneficial insects such as bees can be spared if the mist does not spray during the day when they are most active.

Fortunately, pyrethroids degrade quickly in the outdoors. As a result, this limits mosquitoes from becoming immune to it because the chance of them getting a non-lethal dose is very minimal.

The greatest advantage of mosquito misting is that it is automatic and does not need a lot of maintenance. It may be set to spray at specific intervals and it takes advantage of the peak times when the mosquitoes are most active in the area.

The equipment itself can either come with a tank or tank-less depending on the preference of the household owner and the specifications of the area. The nozzles which can be paired with a filter are also long lasting. Typically, a system that is spraying for 3 X 30 seconds cycles a day (which is typical) will need to have it nozzles changed an average of every 5 years.

A mist system that has nozzles on the ceiling of a patio area can be adjusted to make sure it does not drip. This can be annoying if there is dripping that occurs from the nozzles on a prized outdoor patio. These nozzles can also be installed on a fence, tree and special landscape risers are used in the landscape. All of these can be installed with five different colors of tubing or completely roughed-in on homes that are being built.

The pesticides used in the mosquito mist are monitored by both state and federal agencies and are safe when used correctly. The manufacturers also conduct scientific testing to ensure that the product will have no adverse events towards people, and the environment.

That is why consumers need trained and certified professionals, such as Mr. Mist Systems. Our mosquito control equipment will function by itself after installation. It functions through preset settings with little to no supervision from the owners. Mr. Mist Systems can do all the ongoing maintenance necessary or they can teach the owner of the system how to perform the maintenance.

Please keep in mind that the insect mist system is highly regulated according to what is said on the label of the insecticide of choice. Any commercial technician or home-owner should follow the prescribed dosage, spacing and frequency of sprays, indicated on the label of the pesticide.

During mosquito misting certain precautions should also be observed. People, and pets, should be out of reach of the insecticide while it is still settling in the air. This pending period should not require a lot of time, and the area should be ready for occupancy shortly after the process.

While it poses very minimal risk, the mist system should be used as necessary. These times are dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and other times may include right before a person goes outside and/or night time when mosquitoes are more active as well.

An advantage of having an insect mist system, over having regular mosquito sprays, is that the former constantly is performing mosquito control without a technician having to come to your home every 30 days. It is fixed, and requires very minimal manual supervision, or intervention. The mosquito mist system can also be adjusted according to the homeowners’ discretion by controlling the times, intervals, and the concentration of the spray.

Mosquito Fog

Another commonly used method is mosquito fog. Similar to the sprays and mist, it uses the same chemicals used in store bought pesticides. However unlike the mist system, it mixes the pesticide with water and releases it as a fog.

In some cases, hot vapor instead of water is used which allows it to linger, in the air, for longer periods of time. The amount of pesticide in each fog droplet is very small, which ensures that mosquito fogging methods do not cause any negative health effects towards people, or pets.

The volume per droplet, of the insecticide being released in the ULV (ultra-low volume) mosquito control equipment, is small enough to allow the chemical to penetrate spaces where mosquitoes may be hiding. Each droplet is sufficient enough to kill organisms as small as a mosquito but not large enough to do harm other larger insects in its proximity.

Mosquito Fog reduces risk of asphyxiation, from more potent methods, and can be used both indoors and outdoors. Similar to a mosquito mist, the effect is also immediate and so any area would be effectively free of mosquitos after the operation. Out of all the options, this is the most effective one if your goal is to cover a large area such as an entire neighborhood.

Fogging is typically done in large units as it can reach a distance of up to 90 meters away. This coverage makes it the most appropriate option for government operations, in response to increased incidences of mosquito borne viruses, or as precautionary measures.

Integrated Pest Management

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have formulated, what is considered by many to be, the bestmosquito control program in the world. Their methods are based on the scientific process, and particularly, on the understanding of biological structure of mosquitoes around the world.

This requires the control of the mosquito at every stage of its life cycle. It especially focuses on the immature stages, wherein they are easiest to target because of their immobility, and most convenient to target, because of their vast numbers by comparison to the mature population.

This is called Integrated Pest Management, wherein we take advantage of all the methods mentioned in the entire article. Controlling mosquitos at a larval stage can be the most cost efficient method, and may be the most crucial method. Larvae control attacks the problem from its root cause, but this method, alone, may not be completely efficient.

Although this would cause significant decrease in mosquito population, in any case, and prevent them from growing into full grown adults, this approach requires meticulous supervision, and ground work. You need to constantly introduce larvicides to exposed water sources, and religiously clean exposed waters. There may always be some small places that may breed larvae that one can miss.

On the other hand, controlling them during their adult stage is the treatment that has the fastest results. Moreover, mosquito control methods can cover spaces as small as one household, up to an area as big as a neighborhood, without requiring so much time to complete. Hence, this has been used in a lot of governmental efforts to treat infected areas, especially during surges of mosquito related illnesses.

The production of mosquito control equipment is highly regulated, making sure that the product is of high quality, and the nozzles spray only the desired amount and volume of droplets needed, among other things. More so, the formula of each pesticide undergoes scientific tests for safety and efficacy.

There are plenty of mosquito control systems to choose from. It can vary depending on the area and the needs of the people around it, but all are aimed to eliminate mosquitos with pesticide.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mosquitos are causing a lot of health problems worldwide. Some may even pose fatal risks, or health effects that may be irreversible. With a global surge of these cases, the dangers of this seemingly tiny organism are once more becoming more publicized. This makes people more aware of the serious health issue it can create.

However before addressing the problem, it is important to understand, first, how these mosquitoes work, live, and transmit diseases. This knowledge helps design the best and most optimal way for a specific space.

CDC and EPA recommend utilizing all of these methods, to intervene with an infestation, at every stage of a mosquito’s life cycle. All these aggregated methods approach the problem differently.

Call Mr. Mist Systems!

Mr. Mist Systems offers a variety of mosquito control services, and is one of the nation’s leading experts in mosquito pest control. Call us, today, and we will help you find the best solution possible for your mosquito infestation.